Sigourney wales



('NO Model.) 1

s-. WALES.

B udkle.

No. 242,521. Pgtented June 7,18s|.

glen. n, c

I tion.

Nrrnn STATES ATENT Fries.

SIGOURNEY l/VALES, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE I ASSIGNMENT, TO HARRIOT H. 'WALES, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,571, dated June '7, 1881.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIGOURNEY \VALES, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to buckles in which the tongue and prods are cut from within the frame so as to produce a cheap buckle made entire of a single piece of metal.

The invention consists in a buckle composed of a single piece of metal having the tongue and prods out from within the lra me andjoined to adjacent parts of the frame by three springarms of novel form upon each side, whereby I produce a buckle having great elasticity and affording a wide opening between the resting bar and prods without increasing the width of the buckle. In my buckle I make the ends of the prods overlap the resting-bar by folding over a part or parts of the buckle, and I preferabl y fold the resting-bar under so as to form a recess or depression below the top or highest part of said resting-bar to protect the ends of the prods and keep them from catching.

It also consists in certain details in the construction of such buckles,hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan of a buckle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan ofa buckle of slightly modified form. Fig. 3 represents a plan of a buckle embodying my invention and comprising a hook for the attachment of a ring or loop. Fig. 4 represents an edge View of the buckle shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 repre sents a double buckle embodying my inven- Fig. 6 represents a single buckle of slightly modified forni also embodying my invention, and Fig. 7 represents another modified form of buckle.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1, A designates the frame and B the tongue of my improved buckle, the tongue being provided with prods a a. The salient feature of this buckle consists in the fact that it is composed of a single piece of sheet or plate metal by cutting or stamping, the tongue and prods being cutfrom the metal within the frame.

In order to enable the tongue and restingbar to be separated to permit of the insertion or removal of a strap or band, it is necessary that the buckle comprise an elastic portion or portions, and to effect this I join the said ton gue to the adjacent portions of the frame A by means of spring shanks or arms I), which extend at approximately a right angle or trans versely to the length of the tongue from both sides thereof, and which, as the prods are raised from the resting bar A, are subjected to a torsional strain and act as torsional or flexion springs to return the prods to a bearing upon said resting-bar as soon as released. For the purpose of giving a greater amount of elasticity, the said shanks or arms are composed ofthree approximately-parallel portions, 1) I) Z), joined by means of curves 0.

As here represented, the tongue B is provided upon the outer sides of the prods a a with ears, lugs, or projections d,which maybe grasped by the thumb and finger to afford greater convenience for raising the prods from the resting-bar A. The prods-a a being cut entirely within the inner edge of the restingbar A, it is necessary to adapt said bar so as to form a hearing or resting surface for the prods, and this may be done by cutting out the blank with surplus metal at a portion or portions thereof and folding the surplus metal to afford increased extension and effect the lap of the prods over the resting-bar. In this example of my invention the surplus metal is left outside the resting-bar, as shown in dotted outline, and folded or bent under, as shown in full lines, so as to lap under the ends of the prods. The prods may be made of greater length by cutting their points from recesses or notches e in the inner edge of the restingbar A before the said bar is folded. The folding of the resting-bar inward to form a support for the prods is very advantageous, as the points of the prods are then protected by the inner edge of the bar, which is not folded and is flush with the upper surfaces of the prods.

The metal below the shanks or arms I) of the tongue being cut away, a bar, A is formed, to which a strap or straps may be readily attached, by sewing or otherwise.

The buckle shown in Fig. 2 isin all respects like that shown in Fig. 1, except that it is provided at its lower edge with a loop, 0, formed in the same piece of metal with the buckle, and affording convenience for the attachment of a hook to and its ready detachment from the buckle.

'The buckle shown in Figs. 3 and 4 differs from that shown in Fig.1 in that it is constructed with a hook, D, in its lower portion, to afford convenience for the ready attachment of a loop to and its ready detachment from the buckle. 7

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the lower portion of the buckle is slightly offset at f from the upper portion, so that a strap, E, secured in the buckle and passing down over its upper portion, may pass in a straight line under its lower portion.

In Fig. 5 I have represented a double buckle composed of a single frame, A, the opposite sides of which are in all respects like the buckle shown in Fig. 1.

The object of the form of buckle shown in Fig. 6 is to avoid the necessity of folding under the resting-bar A, so as to form arestingsurface for the prods a, and that is effected by the peculiar manner in which the prods are cut from the metal. The prods are cut from the side of the tongue B, with their points toward the lower edge of the, buckle, and are then folded upon the dotted line g, so as to present their points in the opposite direction and overlap the restingbar A, the surplus metal being left above the dotted lineg when the buckle is cut out, and giving proper strength to the prods. As here shown, one ofthe prods is represented as alreadyfolded while the other is shown as simply severed from the side of the tongue and ready to befolded over. When thus constructed the prods may be cut and folded so as to overlap the resting-bar A as much or little as is desired.

In Fig. 7 I have represented a buckle in which I join the resting-bar A, which, in this case, is the adjacent part of the frame, to the tongueB bysimilar arms I) and curvesc; but in this lattercase, instead of the separation of the restingbar and prods being effected by movin g the prods away from the bar, it is effected by moving the bar away from the prods, the result being the same in either case. By foldin g portions of the buckle I provide for very conveniently making the prods overlap the resting-bar, and the buckle is not increased in thickness, as would he the case if the bars which join the resting-bar to the rest of the frame were bent to move the resting-bar inward.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A buckle composed of a single piece of metal having the tongue and prods cut from within the frame and joined to adjacent parts of the frame byelastie parallelarms or shanks bbb upon each side of the tongue, whereby greater elasticity and awider opening between the resting-bar and prods are afforded without increasing the width of the buckle, snbstantially as specified.

2. A buckle formed of asinglepiece ot'inetal having the ends of the prods made to lap over the adjacent edge of the resting-bar by the folding over of parts of the buckle, substantially as specified.

3. A buckle composed of a single piece of metal having the tongue and prods cut from within the frame and joined to the frame by elastic shanks or arms extending transversely to the tongue, and having its resting-bar folded under to overlap the points of the prods and form a resting-surface therefor, substantially as specified.

4. A buckle composed of a single piece of metal having the tongue and prods cut from within the frame and joined to the frame by elastic shanks or arms extending transversely to the tongue, and having the folded restingbar A provided in its edge with notches or recesses a, substantially as specified.

SIGOURNEY WALES.

Witnesses:

R. J. AsHwoRTH, HENRY S. CHASE. 

